The tv shows - pt 1 - The 104 syndicated

[_bill]

This attempts to put dates to the 104 syndicated tv shows. Next post will have more observations. This information is from The Jack Benny Times, Frank Nelson's posts on episodes upcoming in Canada, tvtome.com, Jack Benny on the Web and the MT&R book. (The numbers are from the Canada posts)

Code: Select all

+----------+---------------------------------------+--------+
| date     | title                                 |        |
+----------+---------------------------------------+--------+
| 54/10/31 | How Jack Found Mary                   | 34     |
| 55/01/09 | Bedroom Burglar Show                  | x      |
| 55/02/06 | 4 oclock in the morning show          | 41     |
| 55/03/06 | Carnival Story                        | 43     |
| 55/10/09 | Massage and Date with Gertrude        | 49     |
| 55/11/06 | Isaac Stern Show                      | 50     |
| 55/12/04 | Jack Hunts for Uranium                | 52     |
| 56/01/15 | Don Invites Gang to Dinner            | 54     |
| 56/02/26 | Rochester Falls Asleep Misses Program | 57     |
| 56/03/11 | Jack Dives into Empty Pool            | 58     |
| 56/12/02 | Jack Locked in Tower of London        | 67     |
| 57/01/13 | Jack Hires an Opera Singer in Rome    | 70     |
| 57/03/10 | Jack Falls into Canal in Venice       | 74     |
| 57/03/24 | Jack in Paris                         | 75     |
| 57/04/07 | Mary Has May Company Reunion          | 76     |
| 57/11/03 | Ginger Rogers Show                    | 81     |
| 57/12/01 | Jacks Life Story                      | x      |
| 58/01/12 | Jack Takes Beavers to Dentst          | x      |
| 58/02/09 | Jack Goes to the Races                | x      |
| 58/03/23 | Railroad Station Program              | x      |
| 58/04/20 | Hillbilly Act                         | x      |
| 58/11/30 | Jack Goes to Doctor                   | x      |
| 59/02/08 | Jack goes to Nightclub                | x      |
| 59/03/22 | The Bergan Show                       | x      |
| 59/11/15 | Jimmy Stewart Show                    | x      |
| 59/12/13 | Pasadena Fan Club                     | x      |
| 60/02/21 | Disturbing the Peace                  | x      |
| 60/11/06 | Hong Kong Suit                        | 123    |
| 60/12/04 | Lunch Counter Murder                  | 130    |
| 60/12/11 | Jack Goes to a Concert                | 131    |
| 61/01/01 | Jack Casting for TV Special           | x      |
| 61/01/08 | Jack Goes To The Vault                | x      |
| 61/01/15 | Dons Aniversary                       | 136    |
| 61/01/22 | Jack to Market                        | x      |
| 61/02/05 | Jack Goes to a Gym                    | 139    |
| 61/02/12 | Death Row Sketch                      | 140    |
| 61/02/19 | Musicale                              | x      |
| 61/02/26 | Jack becomes a surgeon                | 142    |
| 61/03/19 | Jack Goes to los Vegas                | 145    |
| 61/04/02 | Variety Show                          | 147    |
| 61/04/09 | Main Street Shelter                   | 148    |
| 61/04/16 | English Sketch                        | x      |
| 61/11/05 | Jack on Trial for Murder              | 152    |
| 61/11/19 | Tennessee Ernie Ford Show             | 154    |
| 61/11/26 | Golf Show                             | 155    |
| 61/12/03 | Jack Is Followed Home                 | 156    |
| 61/12/10 | Jack Goes to the Cafeteria            | 157    |
| 61/12/17 | Jack Writes a Song                    | 158    |
| 62/01/07 | Jack Does Opera                       | 161    |
| 62/01/14 | Denniss Surprise Party                | 162    |
| 62/01/21 | Jack Gets a Passport                  | x      |
| 62/01/28 | How Jack Found Rochester              | x      |
| 62/02/11 | Ghost Town Western Sketch             | 166    |
| 62/03/04 | Julie London Show                     | 168    |
| 62/03/11 | Alexander Hamilton Story              | 169    |
| 62/04/01 | Jack Goes Back into Pictures          | 172    |
| 62/04/08 | Jack is Violin Teacher                | 173    |
| 62/04/15 | Modern Prison Sketch                  | 174    |
| 62/10/09 | Phil Silvers Show                     | x      |
| 62/10/16 | Air Force Sketch                      | x      |
| 62/10/23 | Lawrence Welk Show                    | x      |
| 62/10/30 | The Story of My Gang Comedy           | x      |
| 62/11/13 | Jack Plays Tarzan                     | x      |
| 62/11/27 | Jack Meets a Japanese Agent           | x      |
| 62/12/04 | Bob Hope Show                         | x      |
| 62/12/11 | Jack Referees a Wrestling Match       | x      |
| 62/12/18 | Jack And The Cab Driver               | x      |
| 62/12/25 | The Story of the New Talent Show      | x      |
| 63/01/08 | Jack Meets Max Bygraves               | x      |
| 63/01/22 | Peter Lorre-Joanie Sommers Show       | x      |
| 63/02/12 | The Spanish Sketch                    | x      |
| 63/02/19 | The Connie Francis Show               | x      |
| 63/02/26 | Jack Does the U.S.O. Show             | x      |
| 63/03/05 | The Frankie Avalon Show               | x      |
| 63/03/19 | Jack Fires Don                        | x      |
| 63/04/09 | Jack Answers Request Letters          | x      |
| 63/10/01 | Robert Goulet Show                    | x      |
| 63/10/08 | Riverboat Sketch                      | x      |
| 63/10/15 | Tall Cowboy Sketch                    | x      |
| 63/10/22 | Johnny Carson Guests                  | x      |
| 63/10/29 | Jack Directs a Film                   | 208    |
| 63/11/05 | Ed Sullivan Show                      | x      |
| 63/11/26 | Jack Takes a Boat to Hawaii           | x      |
| 63/12/24 | George Jessel-Amateur Show            | x      |
| 64/01/07 | How Jack Met George Burns             | 216    |
| 64/01/14 | Peter Paul & Mary Show                | 217    |
| 64/01/21 | Nat King Cole Guests                  | 218    |
| 64/01/28 | Bobby Darin Guests                    | 219    |
| 64/02/03 | Don Breaks His Leg                    | 220    |
| 64/02/11 | How Jack Found Dennis                 | 221    |
| 64/02/18 | Jack Takes a Violin Lesson            | x      |
| 64/03/31 | The Lettermen Show                    | 227    |
| 64/04/07 | Jack Goes to an Allergy Doctor        | 228    |
| 64/04/14 | Harlow Gets a Date                    | 229    |
| 64/10/02 | The Lucille Ball Show                 | x      |
| 64/10/09 | Andy Williams Guests                  | 233    |
| 64/10/16 | The Income Tax Show                   | x      |
| 64/10/23 | Jack Makes a Comedy Record            | 235    |
| 64/10/30 | Hillbilly Sketch                      | 236    |
| 64/12/04 | Wayne Newton Show                     | x      |
| 65/01/08 | Jack Jones Show                       | x      |
| 65/01/22 | Jack Adopts a Son                     | x      |
| 65/01/29 | The Kingston Trio Guests              | x      |
| 65/04/16 | The Smothers Brothers Show            | x      |
+----------+---------------------------------------+--------+



[Gerry O.]

Many thanks for the dates of those syndicated episodes! It's a shame that more of Jack's 1950's output isn't included in the syndicated package. Of course, he wasn't on every week back then, and most of his early-to-mid 1950's shows were telecast live.

It would be great if someone could get their hands on a bunch of good-quality kinescopes of Jack's early live shows. (Presently only a handful or two are in circulation among collectors). Most of those "live" episodes are a LOT funnier and more spontaneous than the later filmed episodes, many of them have the "feel" of the radio show (or at least more so than the 1960's filmed episodes) and could be syndicated like Jackie Gleason's "Lost Episodes" of "The Honeymooners" (which were also originally telecast live)....

I know that it's a wild wish, but we can always HOPE!

[_bill]

Here are live shows available (if still in print) from places
like Shokus, Universal Home Video, Video Yesteryear/MediaBay,
Limelight, Passport, Diamond. Nostalgia. The dates given by Shokus seem off; you won’t find most of these in their catalogs by these dates.
The quality varies, particularly with 60/12/18, there is a
version with Don’s commercial intact. Two shows were aired, but not
Included in the 104 - 60/12/18 was in the CBN run and 64/04/21
was aired in Canada (230). Anyone know any more? (A start of Jack Benny TV appearances will be pt 3.)

Code: Select all

+----------+------------------------------------------+
| date     | left(descr,40)                           |
+----------+------------------------------------------+
| 51/11/04 | Dorothy performs with Zeke Benny and his |
| 52/11/30 | Jack gets robbed!                        |
| 53/10/25 | Humphrey plays notorious killer Baby Fac |
| 53/11/15 | Jack blows up after he books Ray on the  |
| 53/12/06 | Jack tests for a film role opposite Iren |
| 53/12/27 | Reminiscing about last New Years Eve.    |
| 54/01/17 | Liberace tries to persuade Jack to appea |
| 54/02/07 | In a strange twist on art imitating life 
| 54/03/21 | Goldie Fields and Glide                  |
| 54/05/23 | Bob and Jack appear in The Road to Nairo |
| 54/10/17 | Jack holds a jam session at his house.   |
| 56/10/23 | Guest Art Linkletter                     |
| 56/11/18 | The Maxwell is stolen                    |
| 56/12/30 | Jack holds his annual talent competition |
| 57/10/20 | Jack gets Hal to appear on Jacks own ver |
| 57/12/15 | Christmas shopping. w B. Pepper          |
| 58/01/26 | Jacks version of The Honeymooners        |
| 58/04/06 | An Easter show.                          |
| 59/01/25 | Guest Ernie Kovacs                       |
| 60/01/10 | Jack wants Chandu on his show.           |
| 60/12/18 | Christmas shopping. w R. Deacon          |
| 63/02/05 | Jack rents out his house.                |
| 64/03/24 | Jack renews his drivers license.         |
| 64/04/21 | The Fiddler                              |
+----------+------------------------------------------+

Jack Benny Hours/specials (not tributes)
59/03/18  Bob Hope, Marquis Chimps
59/11/07  Danny Thomas, Marquis Chimps and Benny Rubin (incomplete)
65/11/03  Bob Hope, Beach Boys, Elke Sommer, Walt Disney



[_bill]

There is at least one and possibly 2 New Years shows available.
The dates might be 53/12/27 and 63/12/31. I believe most copies
are the 63/12/31 version, and just to confuse things I think one 63 version
has the wrong opening and ending tacked on. At least at the end, there is a very suspicious splice and the reference to "next week" and sponsors don't make sense. So neither 1 nor 2 entries for that are in the previous list.

[Gerry O.]

This is kind of a "side street" from our discussion, but I've always found it strange how Jack would change TV media formats during the 1950's.....

Most TV series went from one format to another without switching. For instance, Burns and Allen did the first few seasons of their TV show "live", with no filmed episodes....but when they started filming shows in 1952, they went to an "all-film" format, and stopped doing the live shows.

Same with Jackie Gleason....He included "The Honeymooners" as part of his live variety hour until the fall of 1955....then from 1955-1956 he gave us the "Classic 39" Honeymooners episodes....ALL on film. Then the following season he went back to a live variety hour and stopped filming "The Honeymooners"....

However, Jack Benny mixed both live shows and filmed shows for a good part of the 1950's, and within the same season. He would do one or two live shows (with a studio audience), then one or two filmed shows (usually with canned laughter), then a live show, then a filmed show, etc.

I can't think of any other star or program that did so much format switching from episode to episode. I'm not saying that what Jack did was BAD, but it WAS very unusual. Has anyone here noticed that too?

[johnathantuttle]

I know that video recordings of old Broadway musicals are available.

Are there any video recordings of the Jack Benny RADIO Show being performed live?

Thanks
Dana

[LLeff]

Are there any video recordings of the Jack Benny RADIO Show being performed live?

Yes, at least in part. And you've come to the right place. On the home page (www.jackbenny.org) click on Programs, then Film Clip. There are two clips that show Jack and the gang performing at Camp Haan.

[johnathantuttle]

LLeff

Thank you!
That was EXACTLY what I was looking for!
Are there any others in existence?

Thanks again
Dana